The Next Hero of D.I.Y. isn't Human, but I bet you often ask yourself where the Fucking Hell did Whitehouse get all those screechy squalls of hideous noise from?
Yes, it was the Electronic Dream Plants WASP synthesiser. It had no proper keyboard,and ran on batteries. But crucially for our DIY chums, it was less expensive by a country mile than yer mini moogs and other prog rock icons.
A quirky little synthesizer that, despite its toyish look, is quite capable of some nasty analog sounds. It really is black and yellow too, just like the insect it is named for. Probably its most distinguishing feature is the keyboard and its non-moving touch-sensitive
keys. That's right, the flat little keys are only sensitive to your electro-static touch. It's nifty technology for 1978, but in reality they are difficult and unreliable to play. There's also a little speaker built-in to the synth and EDP's own pre-MIDI connectors for linking to other Wasps and EDP gear.A look under the hood, however, reveals some surprises. The WASP is powered by two digital oscillators supported by analog filters, envelopes and controls. This makes it one of the earliest digital/analog hybrid synthesizers to come in such a compact package, and it sounds great!
This was just the piece of equipment that could grace your new amateurish tune, and was used widely in the DIY world around 1980. Its squirty belch was heard most notably on the opening track of The Door And The windows "Detailed Twang" album, "Dads". Where it provided the lead melody,played with the usual virtuosity by Nag,or was it Bendle? Who cares, its a transcendental moment from a transcendental album.
Don't let the fact that Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran used one of these put you off, this thing is a classic instrument of DIY , sitting comfortably alongside cardboard boxes,plastic buckets, and cheap secondhand organs. So if you've got a spare 500 quid hanging around idle, get on eBay and buy yourself a classic piece of history.
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5 comments:
love the blog.
I,ve got one of these in the loft. It's been b*ll*xed for years but was great fun before it died.
Get it fixed and flog it on eBay! Or send it to me.
I used one of these borrowed from Attrition on early Stress tracks and we had it's little single oscillator brother, the Gnat. That sounded just like a Gnat too, all weedy buzzes. You are right about then being a bugger to get a decent tune out of too. Imagine a large stylophone you play with your fingers and you are there. Early Eyeless in Gaza are probably the best examples of how to use it properly.
Hey, I know I'm late to this, but I've also got an EDP Wasp in my loft (no, not a nest) and that doesn't work either, well actually it makes a humming drone sound, but no real music.
Where can I get it fixed and is it worth doing?
Don't expect to make 'real music' with a wasp! Who wants to do that anyway?
I'm sure a search on the internet will find some electronic bore who can guide you,might be somthing very simple, but it may be worth selling it as it is.
No relation to the late John Balance (Coil/psychik TV) are you?
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